


Beautiful Crime

by rediscoverreality



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M, Ice Skating, Olympics, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-04-25 02:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14368626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rediscoverreality/pseuds/rediscoverreality
Summary: ”I would like to think that I know you, I just wish I could understand you as well.””Trust me, you don’t.”In which Evgenia’s stress over her skating career after the Olympics unexpectedly brings her closer to Yuzuru.





	1. Chapter 1

The noises of the arena were booming in the distance, but all she could hear was her own racing heartbeat. She was sitting in the corner of the now empty warm-up area, hugging her knees and staring into space. A tear or two might have rolled down her cheeks, but at this point she was too numb to care.

Everyone else was celebrating on the arena or joyfully chatting in the locker rooms. She couldn’t face everyone just yet, although she knew that soon she would have to, just to show good sportmanship. 

Her phone was having a rave in her pocket, and she was trying her best to ignore it. Eventually she gave in and pulled it out to find a spam of messages, most congratulating her on her second place. Alina’s thread of messages stood out among them, asking her where she was and telling her to hurry up if she wanted a ride back to the hotel. Olympic gold medalist, still her practical and disciplined self. 

Evgenia took one last breath before standing up and gathering her things. She began to hurry out, struggling to find her headphones in her bag. Eteri wouldn’t wait; she had learned that the hard way over the years. She had just reached the narrow hallway leading to the entrance when she crashed into something:  
”Oh my god I’m so sor-”, she shrieked and looked up to see a pair of familiar eyes looking down at her.  
”Yuzuru! Hi! I’m... I’m sorry!” Evgenia mumbled, embarassed.  
”You’re not to worry, Medvedeva”, Yuzuru smiled, his expression melting from surprised to kind. They stood in silence for a moment, until Yuzuru said:  
”You... You skated nice today. Very beautiful.”  
”Clearly not nice enough”, Evgenia sighed, closing the silver medal still hanging around her neck into her palm. Yuzuru remained quiet.  
”So you came to watch?” Evgenia asked. He nodded:  
”Of course. I enjoy watching other skaters’ programs, especially now that my competition is over.”  
”Ah yes. Congratulations, by the way. You were... You were absolutely incredible”, Evgenia said, cursing herself for failing to hide the sadness in her tone. Yuzuru opened his mouth as if to reply, but was interrupted by Evgenia’s ringtone.  
”That would be our raining olympic champion informing me that I have approximately ten seconds before Eteri leaves me here. I have to go, see you!” she blurted out, leaving Yuzuru to stand there with a puzzled expression.

The ride back to the hotel was quiet. Eteri was on her phone, and Alina had her headphones in. It was always like this, so no surprise there. Eteri disliked chit chat, and Alina had never been exactly talkative either. Evgenia put her own headphones on, leaned back and closed her eyes. Tomorrow she would get to be back at the rink, concentrating on her gala number. 

Tonight, however, she would be alone with her thoughts with no escape.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days later she was back at the arena, preparing for the exhibition. She was at the warm-up area, ”Kukushka” blasting from her headphones. As she was going over the steps of her program, she couldn’t help but glance at her teammate every now and then. Eteri was working with Alina, making her run her number and giving corrections. This is how it had been for the past two days; Evgenia had gotten the chance to skate enjoying Eteri’s undivided attention twice. This did not help with the thoughts that had been invading her head ever since her free skate a couple of days ago. She forced her focus back to her number, turned the volume up and began again.

A while later she had changed into her costume and was hanging around the arena, staring at the ice.  
”Excited?” she heard a voice coming from beside her. Misha had creeped up next to her while she was deep in thought.  
”More like nervous”, she replied truthfully. Misha chuckled.  
”Don’t be. This is our time to shine. No judges to impress, no criteria, no points, just the performance and the artistry. Don’t you love it?” Evgenia thought about it for a while.  
”I mean, I love competing, I really do. Training towards a goal, striving for perfection, the thrill of success, everything.”  
”But don’t you ever just want to stop worrying about wether or not your triple lutz was perfect or not and just be free to showcase your artistry?” Misha insisted.  
”Artistry and the perfection of sport do not cancel each other out, you know”, Evgenia stated and he nodded in agreement.  
”You’re right. And that’s what I admire about you. You train so hard yet never fail to tell a story. You and Yuzu both, since the moment I saw you”, he said and Evgenia looked back at the empty arena.  
”I just wish it was enough”, she replied. Misha looked confused and seemed like he was about to ask something. Begore he could, though, he glanced behind him and a smile spread across his face.  
”Ah, speak of the devil”, he grinned. Evgenia also turned around to see what he was looking at and saw Yuzu in his swan costume.  
”Looking good, Pooh!” Misha exclaimed. Yuzu grinned and spread his arms as if to showcase his costume better.  
”Not too bad yourself. Nice fishnets”, he smirked and Misha pulled a smug face.  
”I know, right?” he said and Evgenia laughed, drawing Yuzuru’s attention to herself.  
”And here we have death herself”, he joked before turning his attention back to Misha:  
”But Misha, why don’t you have your skates on? We need to be ready to hit the ice in ten minutes.”  
Misha crunched his eyebrows for a moment before he understood what Yuzuru was talking about.  
”Aah you’re right, my friend. I lost track of time. See you soon!” he grinned at Yuzuru and started running back towards the dressing rooms.

The remaining two stood in silence. Finally, Yuzuru turned to Evgenia:  
”How are you doing?”  
This took her by surprise.  
”Fine. Great, in fact. Exhibition is always enjoyable, getting to perform and have fun with the others. Also, seeing you in feathers is always a plus”, she replied. Yuzuru let out a small chuckle in response, but the smile never quite reached his eyes. He stared at her and she turned her eyes away, hiding the nervousness it evoked in her. She knew she was terrible at hiding her emotions, and didn’t like the idea of Yuzuru reading her like an open book.  
”Look, they’re letting the audience in. We should go”, she said, and walked past Yuzuru to make her way backstage, not waiting to see if he was following.

***

”Sailor!” Misha called out over the loud music and skated towards Evgenia. They were now back together on the ice, enjoying their final moments of the gala.  
”Hey Misha!” she shouted. He reached her and pulled her into a hug.  
”Ah you were so great! I wish I could have seen it live from the audience, the screen backstage is rubbish!” he said.  
”Thank you Misha, you were incredible as well! Way to work the fishnets!”  
”Told you I would! Ah, and look who it is!” Misha exclaimed, pointing at Yuzuru who was skating closer.  
”Well someone is happy!” Misha said as Yuzuru reached them. He gave them a tired but genuine smile:  
”Everyone skated well and everyone looks happy. Of course I’m happy as well?”  
”Why wouldn’t everyone be happy? Afterall, these are the irreplaceble moments in life to remember, let’s make the most of them!” Misha said, making Evgenia giggle out loud in delight.  
”Aah I’m so full of escalating adrenaline. It feels like I could just skate forever!” Evgenia cheered and began to skate backwards, away from her friends. She went in for a spin, enjoying every movement her muscles made. In the corner of her eye she could see Yuzuru first observing her, then following her into a spin of his own. She immediately knew where this was going. She picked up speed and grabbed her other blade, preparing for a biellmann. She no longer saw Yuzuru, but assumed he was doing the same. She pulled her leg up and arched her bag, maximizing her flexibility and strenght to get into beautiful form. 

Misha observed his friends, dramatically rolling his eyes at their silly competition. He watched as they got into the biellmann position, perfectly in sync. Both of their faces had a determined expression; neither wanted to lose the competition. Eventually they slowed down, ending the spin at the same time. Evgenia looked at Misha for judgement.  
”So, who won?”  
Yuzuru also seemed eager to get an answer. Misha ignored them, allowing a huge smile to spread across his face while the two just looked at him with bemused faces.  
”I might just have”, he whispered to himself, no longer paying attention to what had erupted in a debate between Yuzuru and Evgenia on who actually held the spin for longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I decided to post the first chapters right away, just to get started. :)


	3. Chapter 3

”Again!” she heard Eteri scream as she hit the ice. She lay still for a moment, catching her breath. Every muscle in her body ached.  
”Get up!”  
Evgenia sat up, breathing heavily. Her triple axel had once again lead her on her side on the ice. She slowly stood up.  
”Try again. Go!” Eteri shouted from the side. Evgenia took a deep breath and began skating around the rink once again, preparing for the jump.  
”Aaaargh!” she yelled in frustration as she stepped to the side, unable to stick her landing. She felt a blinding pain in her ankle.  
”Enough! You’re done for today”, Eteri ordered. Evgenia sighed and skated to the side.  
”You’re out of shape. That’s why you can’t land your jumps. Your skating is heavy and you’re putting too much pressure on your ankle. You need to get back on track if you wish to participate in the world championship”, Eteri said as Evgenia was putting on her protectors.  
”Ice your ankle tonight and give it some rest. Tomorrow you need to come here early to work on your jumps, you’re lagging behind drastically at the moment”, Eteri contenued her scolding. Evgenia remained silent, just nodded at her coach before walking away.  
”Send Alina in!” Eteri shouted after her. 

Evgenia rushed into the locker room, avoiding eye contact with Alina who was getting ready for practice.  
”Eteri wants you on ice”, Evgenia mumbled. She sat down and began unlacing her skates. Alina glanced at her.  
”Are you ok?” she asked.  
”I’m fine”, Evgenia replied, still not looking at her teammate. Alina just shrugged and started lacing her skates.  
”You ended early, I was hoping to be able to warm up before going on the ice. Eteri most likely wants to go straight to choreography”, Alina said. Evgenia rolled her eyes.  
”Well, I’m not exactly happy with cutting off my time on ice either but it is what it is!” she said, not even bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice.  
Alina was confused, Evgenia had never snapped at her like that.  
”I was just saying”, she said in a defensive tone.  
Evgenia dried her blades and put the skates into her gymbag. Then she stood up and reached for her jacket.  
”Bye!” she muttered quickly at Alina and practically ran out of the locker room. She rushed to the entrance, out into the outside air. She cringed at the sunlight in contrast to the dim fluorescent lights of the rink. She scanned the parking lot, looking for her mom’s car with no success. She would pick her up in an hour when her practice was supposed to end. She quickly texted her that she ended early and would take the bus, and began her journey home.

***

”Hey sweetie! How was practice?” her mom greeted her immidiately when she finally got home home.  
”Good. Great, in fact. I feel that my jumps are finally improving”, Evgenia said, putting on her most convincing smile. Her mom seemed suspicious.  
”How come you ended so early?”  
”Oh, Eteri just thought I should get some rest, healing injury and all”, Evgenia said, trying to make a fast getaway into her room. Her mom still didn’t look all that satisfied with her answer, but apparently decided to shrug it off.  
”Well, she’s right, of course. Wash up and join me for dinner”, she finally said.  
”Thanks, but I’ll pass, actually. I’m tired and really just want to go straight to bed!” Evgenia replied quickly and shut her door before her mom could say anything in response.

She dropped her bag on the floor in its usual spot next to her desk and fell down on the bed. She lay perfectly still for a minute, staring at the ceiling. It was only when she felt the first tears roll down the side of her face when she turned over, buried her face in her pillow and cried away the frustrations of the day until finally falling into an uneasy slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- At this point I should probably say that Eteri might be portrayed in a slightly antagonistic way in this story. In reality I don’t know what she’s like and don’t necessarily think that she’s like this all the time.


	4. Update

Hello!

Just wanted to give a quick update.

It’s been a while, and I’m sorry to anyone who was reading this fanfic. I had a major writer’s block, and eventually forgot this work entirely.

However, I have now written the rest of the story and I will start posting chapters regularly again to be able to have the entire story published for any future readers.

Just a heads up, the story will mostly take place during the summer of 2018. I will not be sticking to the real events of this time, but might use them as a guide. Also note that I am not an expert what it comes to the figure skating world, so mistakes will be made :)


	5. Chapter 5

Evgenia woke up to the sound of her alarm. For a moment she was unsure where she was and what had happened the previous night. She was on her bed, on top of her covers with a blanket laid on her. She was still in her clothes from last night’s practice. She checked the clock. 5:45 a.m.  
”I must have fallen asleep”, she mumbled to herself.  
Sitting up made her realize how sore her muscles were. Every motion made her whole body scream. Her pillow looked inviting, and she was sure that she could easily sleep for six hours more. However, she pushed her blanket aside and got up. The pain from her ankle made her cringe as her feet hit the cold wooden floor.

The hot water felt heavenly on her skin. A cold shower would be better to wake her up once and for all, but her whole body screamed for the relaxation that the almost burning water provided. 

The kitchen was already full of light flooding in through the curtains when she finally headed there for breakfast. Her mom was cooking something by the stove.  
”Morning, honey! I didn’t realize that you were so tired last night. You fell asleep in your skating gear! I just couldn’t wake you up, you looked so worn out!” she said and glanced at Evgenia. She didn’t reply, just poured herself some coffee and sat down.  
”I made oatmeal. There should be some frozen rasberries in the fridge if you want some toppings.”  
Evgenia frowned. Oh how she loved her mom for getting up and making her food. However, the thought of eating made her sick.  
”Actually, I’m not that hungry. I’ll just grab an apple or something. I have to get straight to work when I get to the rink, and jumping on a full stomach just doesn’t work”, she said, avoiding her mom’s eyes.  
”You didn’t eat anything last night either. Are you getting sick?” she asked worriedly and rushed to touch Evgenia’s forehead. She just pushed her away:  
”Possibly. But I can’t be sick right now, I need to practise. I can rest after the World’s”, she insisted.  
Her mom didn’t seem all that convinced but eventually gave in:  
”Well, you know best.”

***

The bright lights of the rink hurt Evgenia’s eyes and made her head ache. She finished her third round of running the stairs of the audience up and down for warm-up, and was surprised how out of breath she was already. Mom might have been right about her getting sick. However, she just brushed it off and got her skates out. In reality, she should have warmed up more, but she only had an hour before her actual practise would begin, and she desperately needed to work on some jumps before that. She finished lacing up her skates, got up, and stepped on the ice.

She skated around the rink to pick up speed and get used to the ice. When she felt confident enough, she switched edge and took off for a double lutz. For a moment she felt gleeful as she was certain that she was getting a lot of height and ice coverage. She landed it clean and was so happy that it took her a moment to feel her injured ankle giving in from under her, blinding pain shooting throughout her body.


	6. Chapter 6

Evgenia breathed in heavily. Her fingers stumbled with the laces of her skates. First she tied them too tight. Now too loose.

Finally she stood up.

Just walk over to the rink. Step on the ice. Just like you’ve done a million times before.

For three weeks Evgenia had waited for this moment, but now she would rather be anywhere else. She leaned on the side of the rink and tried to calm herself.

You have warmed up properly. Your doctors have allowed you to skate.

Eventually, she stepped on the ice. It felt odd at first, but oh, so relieving!

It had been three weeks since Evgenia’s ankle injury worsened during practise and she was denied all exercise until it was healed. During her time off all she could do was rest uneasily and support her teammates. She watched as Alexandra Trusova gradually improved her quads and Alina Zagitova prepared for the Worlds as the fresh Olympic Champion.

The Worlds came and went, and as desperately as Evgenia wanted to participate, she had to sit this one out. Summer was beginning to look increasingly bleak for her; she would have to fight for Eteri’s attention alongside the Olympic and World champion.

However, it turned out that Alina had a rough weekend, and returned without a medal, having placed 5th. This meant that the tensions were higher than ever before as they began to work on their new routines. They had a few weeks before the ice show season, during which Evgenia needed to have picked and cut her music and began practising elements. Today was only her first day back, but she had a lot to do.

Skate around the rink. Start working.

Don’t look at Alina.

Don’t think about Eteri.

Evgenia breathed deep once again, and pushed herself into a glide.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

”Have you finished packing yet?” her mom called out from the living room. Evgenia glanced at her nearly empty suitcase.

”Almost!”

”Just don’t leave it until last minute!”

Evgenia cringed. She had no idea what to pack. She was just about to check the weather forecast for Japan when she got a call. Her mood improved immediately when she saw Misha’s name on her phone screen.

”Hey, Misha!”

”Hello, Zhenya! How are you doing?” Misha’s friendly voice greeted her on the other end.

”Pretty good, thanks!”

”And your ankle?”

”Fine, I guess. It’s currently giving me less trouble than packing for Japan, actually.”

Evgenia frowned once again and threw a random sweater in her suitcase.

”So you were also invited to Fantasy on Ice?” Misha asked.

”Yup! As were you, I assume?”

”Yes, and Yuzu too. The whole gang!”

Evgenia just laughed in response, and carefully placed her Luna plush next to the sweater. Progress.

”What are you performing?”

”I’ve had my hands full with my routines for next season, I haven’t had time to think about show numbers. I’m just going to give good ol’ Kukushka one more go.”

”Well, maybe it’s wise to concentrate on the competition. How are the programs looking? Have you decided on music yet?”

”Swanilda variation act three edited with other parts of the same ballet for the free skate and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from Nutcracker for short.”

Misha remained silent.

”Look, I know what you’re gonna say, that I should be original and unpredictable and all that but Eteri-”

”No, ballet is a classic, no shame in that. All of this just sounds awfully ”Alina” to me.”

”Well, there’s a reason why Alina always has ballet music: it’s well suited for backloading. Eteri said that the only way for me to beat Alina is to do what she does. So that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

”Well wouldn’t it feel a lot better to win while doing what Evgenia does?” Misha insisted.

”Nope. It wasn’t enough in the past, and it definitely won’t be in the future either. So it is out with the Anna Karenina and miming, and in with the tutu!” Evgenia tried her best to hide the bitter sarcasm in her voice, but failed. She took out the sweater she had put in her suitcase, determining that it was ugly. Misha laughed forcefully on the phone. Evgenia sighed.

”Well, how about your show? Should I be looking forward to more fishnet action?” 

Misha laughed genuinely this time.

”You’ll see. And I have something extra planned as well, which is actually why I called you in the first place. I have a rather unorthodox request for you.”

Evgenia sat down on her bed, forgetting entirely about her still very empty suitcase.

”Should I be scared?” she joked around. 

”Possibly.” 

”Well, go on then, what is it?”

”Ok. Don’t freak out before I have explained the whole thing. Promise?”

”Promise, but I must say that I’m actually getting quite scared.” Evgenia laughed.

”I was brainstorming ideas for choreography for this summer, and I knew I wanted to challenge myself to choreograph a gala number for a pair. I was counting on the Shibutanis, but they had issues with their schedules, so it wouldn’t have worked out. Then, I saw you and Yuzu joke around at the Olympics exhibition, and thought you two went pretty well together-”

”No! I see what you’re getting at, Misha, and my answer is no!” Evgenia’s eyes widened in shock as she interrupted her friend.

”You promised to listen!” Misha exclaimed. Evgenia calmed her breath. 

”Fine. Carry on.”

”As I was saying, you two make a great pair. And don’t worry, I’m obviously not gonna have Yuzu throwing you around on ice, but rather showcase your strenghts as individual skaters with some easy partnerwork. I would teach you the choreography next week during rehearsal for Fantasy on Ice, and we would rehearse whenever our paths cross during summer. You would perform it at Stars on Ice in the end of July. They were excited about the idea, and you would be payed extra, of course.”

Evgenia listened carefully. To be honest, Misha’s plan sounded pretty great. However, she still had her doubts.

”Are you sure that I’m the right person to be Yuzu’s pair? I’m not even half the skater he is! And how does he feel about all of this anyway?”

”Actually, you are the perfect person for the job. You have great artistic skill, not to mention natural chemistry with Yuzuru. And I’m glad you asked! In fact, Yuzu happily agreed to the idea. He did say that you would be harder to turn around.” Evgenia didn’t quite know how to answer.

”And you can always turn back if it doesn’t feel right. You lose nothing if you try learning the choreography”, Misha added. He then asked:

”Are you in?”

Evgenia thought about it. 

”Yes. I’m in.”

Misha was right. She had nothing to lose.


	8. Chapter 8

Evgenia felt a wave of relief wash over her as she stepped off the plane in Tokyo. Here she could finally relax without the stress of fame and press like back home. Of course she had a small fanbase in Japan as well, but an intrigued look here and there didn’t bother her. 

The Moscov plane arrived very early in the morning, so Narita International Airport was still relatively peaceful. The near-empty arrivals hall, closed gift shops and quiet cafés made it feel like time had stopped. She picked up her suitcase at the baggage claim and headed to the exit. It didn’t take her long to spot Misha among the crowd of people awaiting their loved ones. Seeing him made her realize just how much she had missed him, so she couldn’t help but jump straight into his arms once she reached him. He gladly pulled her into a hug, chuckling softly.

”Welcome to Japan, Zhenny! Careful now, you’re gonna make me fall!” 

”Sorry” Evgenia laughed and pulled away. ”So, how long have you been in Japan?” she asked. All she knew was that Misha had called her last week to request that they met up in Japan and travelled to Shizuoka together.

”Last week. I’ve been in Sendai planning the duet with Yuzu, and spent the last few days here in Tokyo.”

Evgenia felt uneasy upon Misha mentioning the duet, but was excited to see Yuzuru again. To be honest, she had secretly hoped that he would have joined her and Misha on their journey from Tokyo to Shizuoka where the show would take place.

”Where’s Yuzu now?” she asked, hiding the disappointment in her voice.

”Sendai. He’ll fly to Shizuoka later today. We’ll take the train. But now I bet you’re starving! Fancy breakfast?”

Evgenia and Misha proceeded to have a lovely breakfast in a tiny restaurant in the airport lobby. Usually a conversation with Misha was bound to involve some type of interrogation, especially now with everything going on with her injury, Eteri and her disappointing season. However, this morning Misha kept to easier topics, mostly just chatting about the upcoming show. She didn’t mind his choice of topic, as she was eager to hear more about her and Yuzuru’s duet. However, Misha remained quite secretive about it, giving her only short and vague answers.

”You’ll see, just be patient,” he said.

The trainride was quiet. Evgenia was listening to Exo on her IPod, staring out the window. The view looked lovely; the rising sun was strickingly orange, and the fog of the early morning made the outlines of passing buildings blurry. Although it was early, the train was already crowded in typical Japanese fashion, and she could hear the rapid conversation and the occasional announcement over the intercom through her headphones. Misha was dozing off next to her, his head flowing with the movements of the train. Eventually he fell asleep with his head on her shoulder. Evgenia smiled. It had been a rough past couple of months, but she felt incredibly safe with her friend sleeping next to her so peacefully. She was concerned about the duet, but there was something about Misha that made her trust him completely. Surely if he said that everything will be fine, then it will be? 

Suddenly the Exo song ended, and her IPod skipped to one of the songs from her previous free skate: I Understood Something, from Anna Karenina. The safe feeling she had felt just a moment ago was gone in a flash, and replaced by the familiar uncertainty over her skating career. She had just recently understood that getting back to the top would be a hard fight, maybe even an impossible one. She had seen this time and time again, a promising Russian star going out of fashion, their career dying as fast as it had been born, and replaced by a younger, better skater. She also realized that she was in the public eye more than ever before; How will the Russian ice queen handle the pressure of getting beaten by her own younger teammate?

She was woken up from her thoughts by Misha shaking her.

”Wake up Zhenya, we’ve reached our stop!”

”That was a close one, we were both asleep! If I had woken up just a couple minutes later, we would have missed our stop!” Misha added as they were getting off the train. Evgenia couldn’t bring herself to answer, just nodded.

***

After what felt like hours, she was finally alone in her room. Once they had checked in to the hotel, her and Misha agreed to go their separate ways until they would join Yuzuru for practise in the evening. She was glad, as she was exhausted, and so was Misha. For a moment she considered taking a shower, but discarded the idea, lied down on the bed without even bothering to get under the blanket, and fell asleep straight away.


	9. Chapter 9

Evgenia woke up in cold sweat, and for a moment she had no idea where she was. The nightmare that she had was still flashing around her head; the one where she was on the ice, performing her free skate, but her muscles were frozen and she was unable to move. Once she had calmed down a little, she reached for her phone to check the time. 1:56 PM.

”I only slept for an hour,” she mumbled to herself. She sat up, unsure what to do. Misha was definitely still asleep, no question about that, and most of the cast for Fantasy on Ice would be arriving tomorrow night at the earliest. Yuzuru, Misha and her arrived a day early to get started on the duet. She was starving, and upon realizing that there was nobody to accompany her for lunch, she decided to just take a quick shower to freshen up and go alone.

***

Once she reached the hotel lobby, she realized that she had no idea where she was headed. There was a restaurant in the hotel, but the menu didn’t look especially inviting. She was just trying to use her phone to search for nearby restaurants when she heard a familiar voice call for her from across the lobby:

”Medvedeva!”

She looked up to see Yuzuru approaching her with a big smile.

”Yuzuru! Long time no see!” she replied. The two exchanged a quick, somewhat awkward hug.

”When did you get here?” Evgenia asked.

”Just a moment ago. I dropped off my things in my room and was planning to head out for lunch. Misha texted me that you and him would be taking a nap, I wasn’t expecting to see you before practise tonight.”

”Well, I couldn’t sleep for long, it is only afternoon in Moscow after all. I was also just trying to decide where to eat, actually.” 

”Great, we can go together then. I hope Misha-san won’t be upset that we left without him?”

”He might, but to be honest I would be terrified to wake him up. I imagine it would be like bothering a bear in hibernation!”

Yuzuru laughed at Evgenia’s remark.

”Well, then it is settled. I spotted a nearby sushi place on the way here. Sound good?”

”Sushi sounds amazing.”

”Great. Stay close to me, I don’t want you getting lost in the streets of Japan,” Yuzuru grinned and Evgenia rolled her eyes.

”Okay dad, want me to hold your hand while I’m at it?” Evgenia asked in a mocking tone. Yuzuru just laughed in response.

Joking around with Yuzuru made Evgenia feel more at ease. Seeing him always made her nervous, even after being friends with him for two years. It was different with Misha, who belonged to the tiny group of people Evgenia felt completely relaxed and herself around. Yuzuru, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. She was never quite sure how to act or what to say. Most of the time that the two ever spent alone was spent in silence or making smalltalk about anime or skating. 

Evgenia gladly let Yuzuru lead her around the streets of the city and into a charming little sushi restaurant. As her Japanese skills were practically non-existent she was also happy to have Yuzu to order her food for her. Then the two sat in silence once again while waiting for their food.

”How are you, Zhenya?” he suddenly asked with a kind voice. It surprised her, as Yuzu almost never called her by anything but her last name, let alone a nickname. 

”Good. Summer’s off to a great start, I have already picked out my music for next season’s programs. I’m also improving my jumps,” Evgenia blurted out. Even she recognized how rehearsed and fake her answer felt. ”How about you?” she added before Yuzu could say anything.

”I’m happy that walking here went so smoothly. I guess I’m a bit less of a celebrity here. In Sendai, I cannot go out in public without being stopped by fans every few minutes. I am appreciative of them, but it all gets stressful at times,” he replied, once again taking Evgenia by surprise. He almost never gave any insight into his life past skating, at least not to her. She tried to come up with something witty in response, but ended up just staring at the table. She felt Yuzu’s gaze locked on her.

”Well, I kind of get what you mean,” she finally said, still not comfortable enough to meet Yuzu’s eyes.

”My own fans are quite lovely, I don’t have a huge problem moving around Moscow or anything. But the media doesn’t leave me alone.”

She looked up shyly to see Yuzuru still staring at her with kind eyes. Talking about this with him was making her slightly uncomfortable, but something about his understanding expression encouraged her to continue.

”I mean, they are really stuck on the idea that Alina and I have this huge rivalry, and are kind of making me out to look jealous. So I have to be on my best behaviour all the time, when I wish I could just concentrate on training.” 

Evgenia glanced at Yuzuru once again to find that his eyes were still locked on her.

”But the real tragedy is how they always manage to catch me sliding across the ice on my butt! Like jeez, is it too much to ask to get one perfect triple salchow on tape?” she shifted the conversation back to a more lighthearted atmosphere. Yuzu chuckled politely. This always happened. Every time they reached a deeper level of conversation, she chickened out and made a joke out of it. She felt bad, as Yuzuru’s expression had a hint of disappointment in it. Evgenia understood what he was trying to do; they needed to start trusting each other if they wished to get through their duet. Right now it seemed like a very distant goal. 

She was happy when their food arrived, after what felt like forever. Now they didn’t have to worry about making conversation beyond the occasional comment about the food. The silence gave Evgenia an opportunity to get lost in her thoughts once again. One thing was for sure; she would need to start trusting Yuzu. And as for now, she couldn’t think of anything scarier.

**Author's Note:**

> \- Hi! I’m still a complete newbie to the figure skating fandom, but I really wanted to try writing a fanfic! Just for fun, I hope you enjoy reading it!
> 
> \- The events of this story take place after the Olympics, disregarding any real life events that happened.
> 
> \- I’ve tried my best to keep this realistic while allowing some room for drama.


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